Warning: Using QRIS for Online Gambling Could Get Your Account Blocked
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — The convenience of QRIS payments has been exploited by certain parties, including for online gambling transactions. Indonesian Payment System Association (ASPI) chairman Santoso said the association would block QRIS facilities belonging to merchants found to have been used for online gambling transactions.
He warned that any proven misuse would result in the facility being shut down and the associated account automatically blocked by ASPI, as such activity runs counter to its intended purpose.
“It will definitely be blocked. We will coordinate. If there is evidence, we will take firm action. We will revoke the QRIS facility and deactivate the payment device,” Santoso told reporters after the opening of ISEF 2026 at the Jakarta International Convention Centre, Jakarta, as quoted on Thursday (15 October 2026).
Santoso stressed that QRIS is intended to support the public’s economic activity, not online gambling transactions.
He said he would urge all ASPI members to stay away from prohibited activities.
“PPATK has made it clear that, for gambling or other uses that deviate from their intended purpose, we will of course remind our members,” Santoso said.
“Ultimately, every payment instrument is intended to be used positively: to support the economy and customer transactions,” he added.
QRIS used for online gambling transactions
The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) has recorded a shift in the money-laundering methods used by online gambling operators.
The methods have changed amid a downward trend in the value of online gambling turnover and deposits. In 2025, turnover fell to Rp286.84 trillion from Rp359.81 trillion in 2024. Deposits, meanwhile, fell to Rp51.3 trillion from Rp36.01 trillion previously.
PPATK found a significant shift in deposit methods. Throughout 2025, QRIS accounted for about 78.5% of deposit transactions by frequency, or 305.35 million transactions worth Rp19.35 trillion.
Bank transfers and e-wallets accounted for 83.79 million deposits, or about 21.5% of transactions, worth Rp16.67 trillion.
The shift became more pronounced in the first quarter of 2026, when QRIS’s share of deposit transactions by frequency rose to 88.6%, while bank transfers accounted for 11.4%.